The way David Donovan tells it, he wasn’t looking to acquire more Junk King franchises when an opportunity landed in his lap.
Junk King, a 21-year-old national junk removal brand under the umbrella of home services parent company Neighborly, has grown to include more than 170 independently owned and operated locations across North America since launching its franchise expansion in 2010.
Donovan, 39, already owned the Denver and South Denver franchises, with the Denver location ranking among the system’s top performers. A two-time Junk King Franchise of the Year recipient, he serves as a franchise adviser.
During a leadership summit in Cancún this past winter, Junk King President Paul Tis mentioned that a major national account needed a service provider in Los Angeles.
“Well, why didn’t you ask me to help?” Donovan recalled, half-joking.
What began as an offhand remark quickly turned into action. Donovan dispatched trucks and crews across state lines to temporarily fill the service gap. That stopgap effort led to a permanent expansion.
He acquired three territories — Los Angeles, Inland Empire and Riverside — on May 1 before adding Pasadena on June 16, which serves Glendale and Burbank.
“Technically, all these are brand new,” he said. “There was a Junk King in Glendale for 15 years, but it closed last year.”
Expanding into the Southern California market meant more than adding trucks and crews. It also required navigating some of the nation’s toughest environmental regulations, including CalRecycle’s organic waste reduction rules governing how haulers sort and recycle materials.
Southern California News Group recently spoke with Donovan about expanding into the region, navigating environmental regulations and the economics of running a junk removal business. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Q: How did you get into the junk removal business?
A: My wife and I were expecting our second child. I wanted a more dependable schedule because my hours were all over the place when I did sales, so I approached my father-in-law. He asked if I wanted to come run his business, Junk King.
Honestly, I fell in love with junk removal. It’s a fun job.
I ran it for him for six and a half years, and then my wife and I purchased the franchises from him.
Q: Southern California is one of the most expensive places to operate a truck fleet, from fuel to labor costs and strict environmental regulations. Which of those posed the biggest challenge to your bottom line?
A: All of the above, honestly.
Labor is quite a bit higher. Fuel costs are about 35% more. We recycle, repurpose and donate up to 60% of what we pick up — that’s our goal as a company — but the other 40% is total trash, and disposal fees here are twice what they are in Colorado.
Q: Do customers choose Junk King because of its goal of recycling 60% of what it collects, or are there other factors more important to them?
A: Typically, clients choose us for speed of service. Price is another.
But the environmental side also matters to customers, knowing what they’re having removed is not going to end up in a landfill or dumped in an alley. When you call us, you’re getting a very local experience, and I think that’s what separates us from our competitors. We also have that national brand recognition so our standards are higher than someone you found on Facebook Marketplace.
Q: Where are you seeing the most demand in our region so far? Are people primarily clearing out old junk, preparing for a move or tackling other specific projects?
A: All of the above. No two appointments are the same. Sometimes it’s a full house cleanout, sometimes it’s an office cleanout, and sometimes it’s just a sofa because a client bought a new one.
Q: What are Southern Californians throwing away the most compared to your clients in Denver?
A: So far, it’s pretty similar: furniture, yard debris and appliances are the most common things we pick up.
Q: Is there anything you won’t haul?
A: Hazardous materials: oil, paint, asbestos and anything bio-related.
Q: What does it look like logistically for your crews to sort everything they pick up?
A: When crews finish an appointment, we’ll see how much space they have and try to send them to another job that fits the remaining space in the truck.
On one job, we might pick up appliances, furniture and yard debris. We stack items in a way that keeps everything segregated. Appliances go to one side or toward the end of the truck, donation items go in the middle, and yard debris to dispose of or recycle goes at the very back.
Q: How does Junk King base its rates?
A: Our truck can fit 12 standard refrigerators, so we use refrigerators as a unit of measurement when we’re explaining how the service works. We charge by volume and how much space items take up in the truck.
Q: What’s the most memorable item you’ve hauled away, and what happened to it?
A: So, I’m a big motorcycle guy. I was hired to haul away a Russian motorcycle, a Ural with a sidecar. The client used to take his dog around in it. He couldn’t ride it anymore.
Once someone hires us to haul away something, it becomes the property of Junk King. However, the client in question signed the title over to us.
I actually restored it.
Q: I hear some of your employees made the move with you to Southern California. What’s your secret to retaining dedicated employees?
A: The company culture. Several people in my Denver operation have been with us six to eight years. I brought two of my team members from Denver to Southern California, so they live here now, too. Most of my team would follow me anywhere — unfortunately, because I get a lot of harebrained ideas. I’m like, ‘We should do this!’ (Laughs)
Honestly, we’re very much a family. In Denver, we have family dinner once a month with the whole team. That’s just how I’ve always run the business.
Q: Before the junk removal business, you worked in the hospitality industry. Did that experience shape your management style and the kinds of people you hire?
A: Restaurant workers come from all walks of life, and it’s the same in junk removal. One of my managers worked in car sales. I have guys who were electricians, crew foremen, roofers and landscapers. We’ve even hired people who used to work in software.
Q: Why do you think people make that kind of switch?
A: It’s funny. Often, I’ll end up hiring someone looking for something in between jobs, and they end up staying because they’re like, “This is so fun! Why would I want to do anything else?”
One of my operations managers, who I brought with me from Denver, just raised his hand.
Q: Do you have plans to keep expanding your franchise business?
A: Yeah, absolutely. I’d love to continue growing in this space, but just as important is being part of the communities we serve. In Denver, we participate in the Halloween parade on South Broadway every year. The Denver Housing Authority is a big client of ours — we’ll help with anything they need. We’ve also done toy drives for the Denver Children’s Home. We love doing stuff like that.
About David Donovan
Hometown: Temple City
Title: Junk King franchise owner in Southern California and Colorado
Education: Studied photography at the Art Institute of Colorado
Background: Former editorial portrait and culinary PR photographer. Before that, ran bars and did business development for liquor brands.
Business philosophy: Every first-time client receives a “VIP for Life” refrigerator magnet offering 10% off future Junk King services.
“We don’t want someone to just call us once,” Donovan said. “We want to be their go-to junk removal provider.”
Information: www.junk-king.com/locations/losangeles, www.junk-king.com/locations/riverside, www.junk-king.com/locations/inland-empire and www.junk-king.com/locations/pasadena.